EXQUISITE CORPSE
A Full-Length Play; 100 Minutes
EXQUISITE CORPSE
By Maggie Smith
EXQUISITE CORPSE
The creative writing class of Mary Magdalene's Preparatory School for Girls have less than three hours to finish editing their school's literary magazine. Too bad they don't have any poems to edit. In a last-ditch effort to complete their task, the girls lock themselves in their classroom in order to have a long and hard conversation that even the smartest among us can't answer: What makes good poetry?
EXQUISITE CORPSE received its first production at Samford University. It featured Kirsten Erickson (Darcy), Ross (Hester), Addie O'Brien (Madeline), Emily Acosta (Sara), Anna Sularin (Carrie), Catherine Boyd (Dorothy), and Lizzie McDonald (Jo). The play was directed by Jordan Rehm, and stage managed by Katie Suchman.
Show Spotlight: Exquisite Corpse
EXQUISITE CORPSE uses poetry as a means to explore friendship between teenagers, as well as the importance of utilizing writing as a creative outlet when it feels like no one in the world is listening. It was written as a way to honor the lifelong friendships I made in my own creative writing class, which influenced my decision to become a playwright. And while we never fought or put down each other's work, I can speak for myself when I say we definitely pulled some all-nighters. Just not while we were locked in the school.
REVIEWS
"This play makes poetry sing and lets youth fly. "Exquisite Corpse" does exactly what the art form asks of its creators: to draw from different perspectives without inhibition, to sharpen the knife of artistic instinct. The girls of Mary Magdalene's Preparatory are desperate to be heard through their poems, whether humorous or heartbreaking, and Smith's own effortlessly poetic dictation allows the classmates the space to be heard, seen, understood -- and published. I hope this reaches audiences young and old alike."
— E.M. Lark, New Play Exchange
"...This play is a damned joy to read. And its brilliance lies in how many layers that one can choose to dig, or not, for enjoyment. Its surface layers will enchant and engage, and the more you contemplate the more profoundly wonderful it gets. In short, this play about school girls writing poems feels like it is indeed a well written poem. I highly enjoyed it."
— Vidalia Unwin, New Play Exchange
"Exquisite Corpse is an exploration of creative energy—how it makes us tick, how it clashes with others, etc.— that is contained within a girls prep school but reaches beyond the classroom to comment on art-making as a whole. As a sometimes-poet myself, I was charmed by the poems written by the play's characters, as I recognized them as ones I have written at some point in my life—haven't we all written poems about almonds or wisdom teeth? To that end, the young women of the play further distinguish themselves through idiosyncrasies both eccentric and human. A memorable read!"
— Noah Tibbetts, New Play Exchange